Another Interesting Curiosity of the Baha'i religion

[Buddha Dharma]

Unless you have incredible patience, my prediction (prophecy) will be that your niceness will slowly be eroded. Speaking from experience here. Never again. There is just no movement whatsoever. But all the best. Perhaps young man will go where none others have gone.

No, I think you're likely right that I won't get anywhere. I just had to try. I am attempting to move it back to the subject of this thread, but I'm not certain I got anywhere there either.

 

[Vinayaka]

No, I think you're likely right that I won't get anywhere. I just had to try. I am attempting to move it back to the subject of this thread, but I'm not certain I got anywhere there either.

Wiser than me. Have you read this one?

How are these Great Beings explained?

 

[TransmutingSoul]

I was not aware that Baha'is thought the world had been following 'God's laws' prior to Bahaullah.

The world is bound to God's Laws. Imbalances in this law has effect.

Many people try to implement the laws of virtue in their lives, which are the Balance.

Regards Tony

 

[TransmutingSoul]

Well this is kinda taking the thread off track, so maybe I'll start another one about this issue.

I don't think that Baha'i adherents can show beyond the texts of their own worldview that the Buddha and Jesus taught the same, or had similar personalities to Moses and Muhammad. Do Baha'is think that can be shown, or is the only indication in their scriptures, which we aren't bound to accept?

What are the most important virtues to you?

Regards Tony

 

[TransmutingSoul]

No, I think you're likely right that I won't get anywhere. I just had to try. I am attempting to move it back to the subject of this thread, but I'm not certain I got anywhere there either.

How and when did it move away? I would have been answering questions, or responded to a remark made that was not accurate, followed by questions to clarify.

Regards Tony

 

[Buddha Dharma]

Wiser than me. Have you read this one?

How are these Great Beings explained?

Yep and replied somewhere. I think it's rather sad that individual Baha'is have no understanding of Hinduism or Buddhism more often than not, but laud their virtues. The religion itself really provides no way for them to explore Hinduism or Buddhism, and discourages them from going to the source.

 

[Buddha Dharma]

How and when did it move away? I would have been answering questions, or responded to a remark made that was not accurate, followed by questions to clarify.

Regards Tony

Well I was asked somewhere to provide other issues I have with the Baha'i religion, so that's one.

 

[TransmutingSoul]

How can such a seeming divide between these figures, their teachings, and their personalities really be reconciled and explained as reflecting one same God?

No, I think you're likely right that I won't get anywhere. I just had to try. I am attempting to move it back to the subject of this thread, but I'm not certain I got anywhere there either.

What are the most important virtues to you?

Regards Tony

The manifestations are the Virtues. When you study their lives you will see they gave their worldly life to living and teaching virtues. Always, at great cost to them and their followers.

Regards Tony

 

[Vinayaka]

Yep and replied somewhere. I think it's rather sad that individual Baha'is have no understanding of Hinduism or Buddhism more often than not, but laud their virtues. The religion itself really provides no way for them to explore Hinduism or Buddhism, and discourages them from going to the source.

If it works for a certain person, then it's all good. It's just the false assumption that if it works for you, it will obviously work for everyone else where problems arise.

 

[kiwimac]

I thought Baha'is believed in equality of the sexes? Or are you pointing this out as yet another aspect they'd have trouble reconciling, since they accept Islam as authoritative?

Theoretically they do but... no female may ever serve on the Universal House of Justice during the time of the Baha'i dispensation (according to Shoghi Effendi's interpretation of Abdu'l-Baha's Tablets.)

The House of Justice, however, according to the positive commandments of the Doctrine of God, has been specialized to the men, for a (specific) reason or exercise of wisdom on the part of God, and this reason will presently appear, even as the sun at midday. (Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Baha, p. 90, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Baha, p. 80)

 

[TransmutingSoul]

Yep and replied somewhere. I think it's rather sad that individual Baha'is have no understanding of Hinduism or Buddhism more often than not, but laud their virtues. The religion itself really provides no way for them to explore Hinduism or Buddhism, and discourages them from going to the source.

The source is the Virtues.

Regards Tony

 

[TransmutingSoul]

Theoretically they do but... no female may ever serve on the Universal House of Justice during the time of the Baha'i dispensation (according to Shoghi Effendi's interpretation of Abdu'l-Baha's Tablets.)

Men and women are equal in God's eyes. Service is the a bounty in these days. No one is exempt from service and I see it is a bounty women have been freed from this obligation, this to enable them to do what they do best, be peacemakers and educate men in virtues.

It allows them to serve unhindered all around the world.

This is not Position of authority in the Baha'i Faith, there is no striving to be a Universal House of Justice Member.

This will be obvious in the future, in these days not so.

Regards Tony

 

[TransmutingSoul]

If it works for a certain person, then it's all good. It's just the false assumption that if it works for you, it will obviously work for everyone else where problems arise.

To me the problem arises when we are not looking to find the balance for the whole. It goes beyond a single belief.

I would say the 1% - 3% who hold the worlds wealth are content with that balance, but it has to change for the good of all. Extreme wealth and extreme poverty must be obolished. Preferaly, the rich will do this voluntarily. Only a change of reference in current thoughts can do this.

Regards Tony

 

[Buddha Dharma]

Theoretically they do but... no female may ever serve on the Universal House of Justice during the time of the Baha'i dispensation (according to Shoghi Effendi's interpretation of Abdu'l-Baha's Tablets.)

Wow I didn't know that. Yeah, that doesn't sound great.

 

[kiwimac]

Men and women are equal in God's eyes. Service is the a bounty in these days. No one is exempt from service and I see it is a bounty women have been freed from this obligation, this to enable them to do what they do best, be peacemakers and educate men in virtues.

It allows them to serve unhindered all around the world.

This is not Position of authority in the Baha'i Faith, there is no striving to be a Universal House of Justice Member.

This will be obvious in the future, in these days not so.

Regards Tony

How very convenient for you. I call BS, either you believe all folk are equal and can serve in any capacity or you don't. If you don't just say so.

 

[TransmutingSoul]

How very convenient for you. I call BS, either you believe all folk are equal and can serve in any capacity or you don't. If you don't just say so.

I beleive in Laws you are yet to consider.

Regards Tony

 

[arthra]

Baha'is believe that Moses, Jesus, Buddha, Muhammad, Krishna, and the like were all Messengers of God that reflected the one same reality.
I find that view problematic because these figures didn't have alike personalities. Krishna, Buddha, and arguably Jesus were for the most part peaceful and thought deeply about human relations on a global scale.
Moses and Muhammad by comparison appear not so peaceful and more tribalistic. Their personalities appear so radically different to figures like Krishna, Buddha, and Jesus- I find it hard to swallow any notion of their reflecting the same universal collective.

I hadn't noticed this thread earlier but would like to respond to one of the points raised here..

Namely we Baha'is recognize that there is a oneness in the spiritual teachings of the Messengers of God but we fully acknowledged They appeared in at various times and in varying social contexts.. so the teaching for instance that was appropriate for ancient Egypt would vary somewhat from the time of Jesus....and also vary from that of the conditions that obtained in Arabia at the time of Prophet Muhammad and so on...

 

[CG Didymus]

Men and women are equal in God's eyes. Service is the a bounty in these days. No one is exempt from service and I see it is a bounty women have been freed from this obligation, this to enable them to do what they do best, be peacemakers and educate men in virtues.

It allows them to serve unhindered all around the world.

This is not Position of authority in the Baha'i Faith, there is no striving to be a Universal House of Justice Member.

This will be obvious in the future, in these days not so.

Regards Tony

Of course someday it will be obvious, but for now it seems like you need the best, most spiritually qualified people to serve on your UHJ... Isn't it only nine people? And how many women serve at your world headquarters in other positions, like secretaries and assistants to the men?

 

[CG Didymus]

As much as I admire Baha'is in some senses for believing in world unity and peace- I think personally there are some significant issues with their theology.

The religion teaches that every world religion was revealed to a time and place, so might seem different. I find that a somewhat curious and problematic position. Especially relating to any kind of truth value.

I was thinking about another just now...

Baha'is believe that Moses, Jesus, Buddha, Muhammad, Krishna, and the like were all Messengers of God that reflected the one same reality.

I find that view problematic because these figures didn't have alike personalities. Krishna, Buddha, and arguably Jesus were for the most part peaceful and thought deeply about human relations on a global scale.

Moses and Muhammad by comparison appear not so peaceful and more tribalistic. Their personalities appear so radically different to figures like Krishna, Buddha, and Jesus- I find it hard to swallow any notion of their reflecting the same universal collective.

The Buddha and Jesus both taught ways to treat your enemies that conflict very deeply with some of the things Moses and Muhammad said are permissible.

We even see in the gospels that Jesus took some issue with Moses, because he said: the law says such a thing, but I tell you something different. Love your enemies, and so on...

How can such a seeming divide between these figures, their teachings, and their personalities really be reconciled and explained as reflecting one same God?

A curiosity for me is that Baha'is have one founder/prophet/manifestation for some religions like Islam, Christianity and Buddhism but several for Judaism, like Adam, Noah, Abraham and Moses.

Hinduism is a problem. They were already in existence before Krishna. And no one since then was sent by God to bring new updated teachings? Unless Baha'is say that is what Buddha was? But then neither Hinduism nor Buddhism had another manifestation that carried those teachings to the next stage in the "progression" of religious thought.

Unless God meant for them to jump over to Judaism to get the new teachings. But there is another problem. A connection between Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Baha'is is spelled out with the coming of the next manifestation. That connection is not there with any of those religions until the Baha'is, but it's not that much of a connection.

Now a strong connection exists between Islam and Baha'is. So is the world supposed to accept a religion that is so strongly in line with Islamic teachings?

 

[CG Didymus]

A curiosity for me is that Baha'is have one founder/prophet/manifestation for some religions like Islam, Christianity and Buddhism but several for Judaism, like Adam, Noah, Abraham and Moses.

Hinduism is a problem. They were already in existence before Krishna. And no one since then was sent by God to bring new updated teachings? Unless Baha'is say that is what Buddha was? But then neither Hinduism nor Buddhism had another manifestation that carried those teachings to the next stage in the "progression" of religious thought.

Unless God meant for them to jump over to Judaism to get the new teachings. But there is another problem. A connection between Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Baha'is is spelled out with the coming of the next manifestation. That connection is not there with any of those religions until the Baha'is, but it's not that much of a connection.

Now a strong connection exists between Islam and Baha'is. So is the world supposed to accept a religion that is so strongly in line with Islamic teachings?

Any Baha'is have a comment on my questions?